Kevin Patrick Says He Knew His WWE Release Was Coming

Former WWE announcer Kevin Patrick was recently a guest on The Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch, where he discussed several topics. Among them were his release from WWE, his passion for wrestling, his friends reaching out after the release, and more.

Below are some highlights from the interview:

Patrick on his release from WWE:

“Football was always gonna win, if there was ever a collision, and there was one on the horizon, very clearly on the horizon. If I’m in Boise, Idaho, on a Friday night, for example, doing SmackDown, how am I gonna be in the studio in New York at one o’clock on a Saturday? This was coming. I also wasn’t their long-term guy. They need someone who’s all in. Michael Cole has missed two shows in 27 years.”

Patrick on his level of passion for professional wrestling:

“They deserve more. That chair deserves more. For me, it was time. I wanted to leave. It got to a place where I had a chat with Michael Cole weeks before and I said, look, if there’s a thinking here that I move on, I’m good. Let’s hug it out, let’s be on our way. I still talk to Michael Cole. On the phone, when we went through with the release and everything else, I told him he’s the best boss I ever had, and I stand by that. He’s a tremendous guy. Everyone worked with was great. It’s a chapter in your life. I wasn’t overly upset about it at all. I don’t think they were. I think it worked out for the best, for the product on TV and for me. I’m all in on what I’m doing now, and I love it. When WWE’s in Atlanta, I’ll pop down, I’ll say hello to some friends.”

Patrick on his friends reaching out after his release:

“[People in WWE] reached out after I left the company. I think a lot of them were relieved, Becky [Lynch] certainly was, when I said, no, this is a good thing. It’s a good thing for me, it’s a good thing for WWE. This is just a smart move all around. For me, it was a relief. When I was back in Ireland, over Christmas, my mother sat me down and she said, ‘Kevin, this doesn’t make sense. How are you going to be in the middle of somewhere on a Friday night, and what if there’s no red-eye? Then you’re gonna kill yourself physically. Then you’ve got to prep for 14 MLS games. It doesn’t add up.’ So, beautiful chapter in my life. I’ve become a better person for it and a better broadcaster for it. But I’m also better for not being there right now as well.”

[h/t to Fightful for the transcription]

 

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